PANJIM: Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Wednesday announced that the Cyberage Scheme for the secondary school students has been kept in abeyance from the ongoing financial year, with no intension of further introducing the same.
The scheme was aimed towards providing tablet PCs pre-loaded with educational software and other add-ons, to students of standard V and VII. Parsekar had in his 2015-16 Budget assured to continue the scheme, with total budgetary provision of Rs 50 crore.
Addressing media persons, Chief Minister said that scheme has been found to be far from fulfilling its objectives and hence government has decided to keep the scheme in abeyance and instead upgrade the computer labs of each educational institution. “Also the amount of Rs 100 collected from the students of standard V in 2013, as payment towards tablets, would be adjusted with their annual term fees,” he said.
In 2013-14, government had asked students of standard V to pay Rs 100 as payment towards e-tablets. However, till date the students have not been provided with the product.
Parsekar, who also holds education portfolio, said that the amount sanctioned towards distribution of tablets, would be now utilized to upgrade the computer labs. Government has also decided to keep a separate watchman for computer labs in each school.
In 2013, the first batch of 47,000 tablets was distributed to students (standard V students, who passed out in 2012-13 academic year) as a part of this new scheme announced by the BJP-led coalition government. The tablets were acquired by the Info-Tech Corporation of Goa (ITCG) for Rs 9,950 each.
The project had faced opposition from several quarters. The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) had expressed its concerns that the State government’s move to distribute free tablets to students would serve as a distraction to students and not help them study.
The opposition Congress party on the other hand had filed a complaint with the crime branch, alleging a Rs 30 crore scam in the tablets purchase.
Also, media had exposed the fact that these tablets are been misused by the students for downloading music videos, games and Bollywood- Hollywood movies. It was also revealed that these tablets are been sold to foreigners on rent basis.
